The Pakistani government has called off a round of peace talks with the Taliban after insurgents claimed they had executed 23 kidnapped soldiers in the country's north-west.

A faction of the Pakistani Taliban from the Mohmand district claimed in a statement they had killed 23 paramilitary Frontier Corps members who were kidnapped in June 2010.

Neither the army nor the government have confirmed the killings.

But in response to the claims, the government's chief peace negotiator, Irfan Siddiqui, has called off a scheduled round of peace talks.

"It is sad that we are not moving in the right direction," Mr Siddiqui said in a statement, adding there was now "no use" holding a planned Monday meeting with Taliban representatives.

Pakistan watchers have always been sceptical that negotiations with the outlawed militant group could ever bring results in a country where the Taliban are fighting to topple the government and set up an Islamic state.

Last month, prime minister Nawaz Sharif announced talks with the Pakistani Taliban in order to "give peace another chance" following a seven-year insurgency that has claimed nearly 7,000 lives.

The Pakistani Taliban's main spokesman could not immediately say if Mohmand Taliban actions had been endorsed by the movement's central command, but prime minister Mr Sharif responded with anger.

"Such incidents are affecting the peace talks negatively after they started to bring a peaceful solution to the problem," Mr Sharif said in a statement.

"Pakistan cannot afford such bloodshed. The situation is very sad and the whole nation is shocked."